Learning to Let Go
by DarkAngel075
Summary: After her boyfriend died, Kagome thought she had nothing to live for and committed suicide. But what she didn’t expect was that someone would save her. Now she has to cope with the death of InuYasha and the new demon that won’t let her die, no matter what
1. Ending a Life of Misery

A/N: I really know that I shouldn't be doing this but I just couldn't help myself…. - One day I logged on to yahoo and my friend Emily had something as her status menu thingy and I read it and I loved it right away. I thought to myself, 'Hey I could make a story about this!' and what she has written is the summery. So plz don't be cruel if it sucks! I have no clue what's going to happen in this story but I'll just try! So go ahead and read the dreaded story!

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha.

Learning to let go

Prologue Ending a Life of Misery

Kagome stood on the edge of the bridge in silence. The cold winter wind blew snowflakes across her face where they melted once they touched her milky skin. Her lifeless brown eyes stared at the water below her. The cold water below that would soon take her life. A lot had happened to her that year. She had lost her mother, brother, and grandfather several months ago in a raging fire that consumed her whole house.

After a few weeks in the hospital, Kagome left to go live with her boyfriend, InuYasha. Not long after she moved in she accepted the fact that her family was gone and was willing to start a new family with InuYasha. But things did not go as planed. They had begun to fight over the smallest things and pretty soon they couldn't stand each other.

One morning they were fighting more than usual. "I can't stand you anymore, why don't you just leave!" InuYasha had shouted. Kagome had been throwing plates and bowls at him in a fit of anger but his words got to her.

Tears of sadness and anger had filled her eyes. "Fine, then I will! I don't need you anymore InuYasha! Believe me, I'll find somewhere else to go and then you'll be sorry!" she shouted back at him. InuYasha's face was twisted with anger as he stormed out of the house and off to work.

"I don't need you InuYasha." She said to herself as she watched his car pull out of the driveway and down the road. "I'll never need you." She said. But she didn't know how wrong she was.

Later that day she was packing her clothes and heard something on the TV. "This morning there was a horrible car crash on highway 37. A car lost control on the road and spun, hitting tree other cars as it went along. Those in the other cars have been reported injured but they'll be all right, while the driver of the runaway car was pronounced dead at the scene. We have now been able to identify the dead driver. His name is InuYasha Tashio, age 19."

Kagome then dropped the shirt that she had been folding and fell to her knees. She couldn't believe it. Her InuYasha was dead. Pretty soon life became unbearable. Even the smallest thing that reminded her of InuYasha made her break into tears. So pretty soon she decided to commit suicide.

Kagome looked around the bridge to see that several people had gathered around her telling her not to jump but she couldn't hear them. She then fixed her eyes back to the cold water below her. If the impact of her body to the water didn't kill her then she knew that the freezing temperature of the water would. Kagome closed her eyes and took a ragged breath. "Good bye cruel world." And she plunged into the watery darkness below.

A/N: ok, that's it for this chapter. If you guys like it and want me to continue then I will but if it sucks then I'll stop!


	2. Saving a Life In Need

A/N: Even though I only got a few reviews for this story so far, I've decided to continue it! The main reason for this is the fact that I can't think up anything for The New Girl…. Some people who read the prologue for this story thought it was depressing and I know that, that's the whole point of it! But this story will be my favorite pairing Kouga/Kagome! Ohh how I love Kouga! Well, anyways on with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha

Learning to Let Go

Chapter one Saving a Life In Need.

Kouga pressed his face to the window of the Shikon Bakery. The smell of warm bread drifted through the front door. He saw the delicious brown loaves sitting perfectly on their little glass shelves, just waiting to be bought. With a sigh he pulled his face away from the window and looked around the streets that he called his home. The streets of down town Tokyo were packed with people. Christmas was only two days away and all the people that had waited until the very last minute to buy gifts were filling the streets and little corner stores all around him.

Ginta and Hakkaku had left a while ago in search for food and would not be back until sometime later. 'I bet they're getting leftovers from WacDonalds again…' Kouga thought with disgust. No matter how they served it, fresh or a day old, he could never stand the way that the hamburgers tasted and probably never would. He leaned his back against the window and sighed, looking up into the slightly cloudy sky that had just began to silently rain snowflakes on the already snow covered streets. Very few stars could be seen through the cloudy sky and were occasionally blocked by the constant moving gray clouds.

He lightly pushed himself from the wall and began walking towards the old stone bridge scaling across Tokyo bay. "They'll know where to find me." Kouga muttered silently, his eyes downcast to the brown snow that littered the sidewalk. As he walked he bumped into several people that muttered curses as he passed with out an apology. He kept on walking, only shaking off the minor insults. The smell of the food that he hated so much drifted into his senses, clogging his nose with the horrible stench. He looked up to see that he was in front of the oh so hated WacDonalds and as he was looking back down he saw a family of two sitting in the far corner of the restaurant, laughing happily.

Kouga watched them for a minute before turning away in disgust. Kouga never had a happy family. His mother was a horrible drunk and his father blamed him for his mother's drinking so he beat him constantly. He also used to have a little sister named Kamarii and if she were still alive then she would be about 13. She died about seven years ago when their father beat her to death after he had been drinking with their mother. After that the police arrested his father and gave him the life sentence and not to long after his father was killed, his mother died of alcohol poisoning and a broken heart.

Kouga began walking again with an angered look on his face. "Humans are so naïve. They never know what they have until the lose it." he said bitterly, his voice full of malice. When he got to the bridge he noticed that a rather large crowd had gathered in a semi-circle around a spot close to the edge. And being the curious little wolf-demon he is, he just had to check it out. Kouga shoved through the crowd and up to the front of the circle to see what was going on. When he made it to the front he saw a girl standing on the edge, looking at the water underneath them.

"Don't jump child!" shouted an old woman who stood a few feet from Kouga. The girl turned around and what Kouga saw made his breath catch in his throat. The girl's brown eyes were dull and lifeless but Kouga could still see the faint spark of life radiating through them. Her long ebony hair perfectly framed her doll like face and her soft pale skin glowed in the dim light making her look angelic.

'She's beautiful…' he thought to himself as he stared at the young teenaged girl before him. When she turned away from them Kouga could feel a small pang in his heart, already missing the lovely features of the girl. He noticed that her foot moved towards the very edge of the bridge slightly and instinctively knew what she was about to do. He rushed forwards as fast as he could and grabbed at the girl's ankle as she fell forward and he only missed by a few inches. Her body fell towards the water at a frightening speed and Kouga lurched himself off of the bridge and out towards her.

They were only a few meters from the water's surface before he was able to grab hold of her and wrap his strong arms around her small frame. "Take a deep breath." He said just as they hit the icy water.

Ginta and Hakkaku arrived at the bakery a few minutes before Kouga's brave attempt to rescue the suicidal girl. And just as Kouga had predicted, they had gotten food from WacDonalds. "Hey Ginta, where's Kouga?" asked Hakkaku as he stared blankly at the empty spot that had once been a temporary resting place for their friend. Ginta sighed and stared down at the dirty snow.

"Maybe he went to the old bridge." He replied. "He always goes there when he gets bored or just needs time to think." He said a-matter-of-factly. He shifted the food filled bag to better suit his shoulder and looked at Hakkaku. He also sighed and looked back at his friend.

Hakkaku then turned towards the street that led to the old bridge and began to walk along the sidewalk, avoiding patches of brown and black snow. "I bet you're right." He said as Ginta turned to follow him. Just to make sure that they new where they were going to find Kouga, the two wolf demons sniffed the frosty air to keep scent of their friend. The freezing air around them smelled of smoke, sweat, and the stench of millions of people that came through there everyday. They grimaced at the smell but kept on sniffing so that they would not lose track of Kouga.

After several minutes of silence Hakkaku decided to strike up a conversation. "Hey, have you heard about that InuYasha Tashio guy that died in that car wreck a couple of weeks ago?" he asked. Ginta looked up from the ground and placed a hand on his chin, thinking.

"Yeah, I heard about him. They say he was half dog demon and they were surprised that he didn't walk away with only a few minor injuries. Some people are suspecting foul play but are doing nothing seeing how he was half demon." Ginta said calmly only raising his voice slightly when he spoke of the uncaring people. Hakkaku snorted loudly and shuffled his feet through the snow that he was once trying to avoid.

"Did you hear about his girlfriend, Kagome Higurashi? They say she's as beautiful as an angel and has a personality to match." Hakkaku grinned slyly. "I saw a picture of her on the news when I passed by the old TV shop and they weren't lying!" he remarked.

Ginta also grinned at his friend as an agreement. "I saw it too. She was pretty hot! I wonder what Kouga would do if he saw her. They say that she's really shaken up about the whole thing and went into a state of depression not to long ago." Said Ginta. Hakkaku nodded sadly and cast his eyes back to the snow.

"Well, what can you expect? She lost her little doggy-eared lover. Lots of girls would be pretty miserable after that. But what I find strange is the fact that she loved him, even though he was part demon. Things like that don't happen every day and especially with one of the most powerful breeds of demon there are." He said slowly, thinking over his words about the ebony haired girl.

Ginta nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that is pretty strange…" he mumbled. As they kept walking the smell of Kouga became clearer and they spotted the bridge. Rushing towards it they noticed that a large amount of people had gathered around one of the ledges and that Kouga's scent stopped here. There were about 50 people or so gathered around the edge, looking down into the freezing water that slowly lapped underneath them. After shoving through several people they finally were able to make it to the stone ledge where an old woman peered over the edge, a look of worry spread over her delicate, wrinkled face.

"What happened here?" asked Ginta as he peered over the edge like the many people around them. He could see the small ripples of a now receding splash that had been made only a few moments ago. Sniffing the air he realized that this was exactly where Kouga's scent ended before plunging sharply below them. Hakkaku was talking to a man a few feet away from him so he decided on getting information from the old woman.

"A teenage girl was standing here, about to fall when a wolf-demon lunged after her and caught her just before she hit the water." She replied, still staring down at the water. She turned to look at him and was taken aback when she noticed that he too, was a wolf-demon. After recovering from the slight shock she began to talk again, but this time she was sterner with the tone of her voice, no longer sounding as soft as she had before. "I bet the boy's alright, he can take the cold, but I'm not sure of the girl yet. I mean, he's a demon and she's just a small child. And it's been awhile since they've fallen in." she said.

Ginta nodded thanks for the information and went to go talk with Hakkaku. "What did you find out?" he asked calmly as he approached his friend from behind. Hakkaku turned to face him and smiled grimly. Ginta raised an eyebrow but did not ask, already knowing that he was about to speak.

"The girl who jumped was Kagome Higurashi. Just like I said, she was so depressed that she thought only suicide could help her ease the pain. But I still don't know who the boy was that grabbed her and saved her from the impact of the water." He said. Ginta smiled and brought him back over to the ledge and leaned against it, taking in a deep breath.

"None other than out Kouga. I guess he was as taken aback by the girl's looks as we were and decided to save her. What a waste that would be if she had died. You don't get many girls with that much natural beauty anymore." She said grinning. Hakkaku laughed lightly as he looked over the edge and into the water.

"I just hope he's okay." He said softly. Ginta leaned forwards on the bridge and smiled at him.

"Oh come on, how bad could it be?"


	3. Why Won't You Let Me Die?

A/N: I don't know why but for some reason I like making this story a lot more than The New Girl…. So I have decided that I'm going to put that story on hiatus and finish this story instead. It will take a very long time to do this story but I really don't care! And I'm trying to update as fast as possible but I get a little stuck sometimes…hehehe…

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha

Learning to Let Go

Chapter two Why Won't You Let Me Die?

Kagome felt a pair strong arms wrap around her just before she hit the water. The cold wrapped around her small body so tightly that it knocked the breath from her lungs and left her feeling dizzy. She looked up through the murky waters to see the outline of a man pulling both him and her up to the water's surface without even loosening his hold on her. 'At least someone cares.' She thoughts as she let the darkness that was edging at the end of her mind take her over.

Kouga struggled to pull both him and the angelic girl to the surface of the water. His now soaked clothes added weight to him as well as hers. He couldn't see very well through the water but the faint glow above him told him that he was going in the right direction. He was only a few feet from the surface when he felt the girl's body slack in his arms. Panicking, he began to swim faster, not wanting for her to drown. 'Oh Kami please help me.' He thought as he pushed all of his strength into swimming. He was running out of breath and there was only about a foot or two to go until he made it.

'Almost there…' he thought, pushing himself even harder. Just as he was about to let his breath go and suck in a lung full of water, he broke free of the water's hold. He swam in the same spot for a while until he had regained normal breathing. With one arm he began to swim towards the shore that laid about 50 feet away on both sides. As he was swimming he heard a loud cheer go up from the bridge. Casting his icy-blue eyes up there, he saw that many people were cheering for him. He grinned when he saw his two best friends, Ginta and Hakkaku cheering along with the crowd.

'If only they knew how cold this damn water was, then they'd be cheering even louder.' He thought with amusement. After a while of swimming with one arm, he finally made it to the shore. He pulled the water soaked girl out and laid her flat on her back. With a sigh he lifted her head slightly and plugged her nose. Taking a deep breath, he leaned down and gave her CPR. After a few attempts nothing happened then on the fourth try it finally worked. She started coughing up water as soon as Kouga lifted his mouth from hers.

Her chocolaty brown eyes opened slowly as Kouga gazed down at her. When they were fully open she started to take in her surroundings. The cold water that now soaked her clothes, the concrete shore that she now lie on, and the handsome wolf demon that was looking down at her with a smirk on his face. "Where am I? Am I dead?" Kagome asked with a bit of fear in her voice. Kouga sighed and his smirk increased.

"No, you're not dead. I grabbed you just before you hit the water so that the impact wouldn't kill you." He stated. Kagome's face fell as he said these words. She then abruptly stood up and made her way to the water with tears in her brown eyes. Kouga lunged out at her and grabbed her flailing arms, pulling her down into his lap so that she could not get away.

"Let go of me!" she screamed as she struggled to get free. "I want to die, now let go!" she shouted. Kouga flinched at her words but held on just as tight, never loosening his grip. She collapsed in his lap, the tears now flowing freely from her eyes. She buried her head in his wet shirt and cried like there was no tomorrow. Kagome muttered things at times but they were so low that Kouga couldn't hear them. He just sat there, gently stroking her wet hair until she calmed down enough.

Kagome looked up at him with a red, tear stained face. Her delicate mouth was twisted in a sad scowl. "Just who are you anyways?" she asked as she stared into his incredibly blue eyes. Kouga stared at her lips that were now pouting. He could hardly resist the urge deep inside of his to just wrap his arms around her and kiss her. Kouga coughed as he looked away from her so as not to give in to his sudden urge.

"Kouga…" he said lowly. Kagome studied his face for a while and leaned back. With a sigh she looked around too not saying anything to her new demon friend. She ran a hand absently through her hair, parting the tangled locks. After a while of silence Kagome decided to honor the lucky demon with the sound of her voice.

"My name's Kagome... but I bet that you've seen me on TV labeled as the depressed suicidal girl." She said sadly. Kouga looked at her, confusion showing in his eyes. Kagome noticed the confusion and grinned. "Oh, so you haven't heard? Well, not to long ago my boyfriend, InuYasha, died in a car crash. I bet you've heard about that." She said. Kouga nodded. "Well, when I heard about it I went crazy. I was crying forever and nothing could calm me down except sleep. People started to notice this craziness and contacted the reporters. Then when they started following me, asking me how it felt that my boyfriend died, I just snapped. The first thing I thought of was to come here and end my misery but obviously that won't work." She said a matter-of-factly.

Kouga stared at her disbelievingly. 'So this is that chick who dated that stupid half-breed." Kouga thought. There was just something about that hanyou that he hated. He didn't know exactly what it was but that didn't stop him from hating him. Kouga growled softly. 'How dare that half breed make this girl cry!' Kouga thought angrily. Kagome obviously heard the growl and stared at him. Kouga shook his head.

"Nothing…" Kouga said. The girl on his lap sighed and looked up at the people on the bridge. She smiled when she noticed that they were all happy to see that she was alive and had not died as she had hoped. Kouga stared at her turned face and his heart began to beat quickly again. He hadn't noticed before how much more beautiful she was when she smiled. Even though her hair was plastered to her face she still looked like a thing of perfection.

With a sigh Kouga stood up and offered a hand to Kagome. "Come on, you must be cold. We should try to find you some dry clothes so you don't catch your death." He said. Kagome took his offered hand and he pulled her to her feet. Her hair dripped steadily on the concrete ground causing for little drips to be heard in Kouga's sensitive ears. As they walked up the concrete bank and up to the street Ginta and Hakkaku ran towards them shouting the name of their friend and the hero of the angelic girl.

Kouga grinned as he friends finally made it to them. "Way to go Kouga!" shouted Hakkaku as he panted heavily. Ginta did something of the same manner and was also panting. Both were doubled over and had their hands on their knees as they looked up at the two. Kagome was embarrassed by her attempt and failure of suicide and was looking in a different way.

"Ginta, Hakkaku, run to the Hoshi Inn and tell Miroku that we'll be having a guest tonight." Kouga told them. They both nodded and began to run to the Inn, dodging the thick banks of snow that littered the roads and sidewalks. When they were gone Kouga turned to look at Kagome and noticed that she was shivering uncontrollably. "Oh my god, Kagome!" Kouga said as he wrapped his arms around her. "We've gotta get you to the Inn quick before you freeze to death!" Kouga said worriedly.

Kagome pulled free from his hold and turned to look up at him. "You should have just let me die." She said coldly. Kouga felt a sharp pain in his chest as he heard her words. "My life was horrible and I was just about to make it all better but you just had to ruin it… I would finally be able to see my InuYasha again but you just had to interfere!" she shouted up at him. Kouga's eyes narrowed as he looked down at the ungrateful girl.

How dare she not thank him for saving her! He grabbed her by the shoulders and squeezed so tightly that his nails dug into her tender flesh, making her wince. He shoved his face into hers and glared daggers at her. "Now you listen you me you ungrateful little bitch!" he said through clenched teeth. "I saved you because you have no reason to die! You have your whole life to live and you just went and tried to throw it away. I'm not going to let you do that so you better suck up the attitude and learn some respect!" he finished.

Kouga could see the hurt in her eyes as he pulled away and could not believe that he just said that to her. But the pain quickly disappeared and was replaced by a flaring anger. "You have no idea how I feel! I lost all my family this year and now my boyfriend! He was the only thing left in my life and you say that I have no reason to kill myself! You have no clue what it feels like to lose someone you love!" she shouted. A loud slap could be heard as Kouga hand made contact with her cheek.

"You have no right to say that I don't know what it feels like." Kouga said bitterly. "I have lost people in my life, more than you could ever imagine. I lost my sister and best friend when I was ten to an abusive father and then him to a jail. Then my mother died. So I've been homeless for seven years. I've made many friends between that time and a lot of them died because they were also homeless like me and could not keep warm enough through the winter. A lot of my friends have also been shot. So I think I know what it feels like to lose people in my life." He said as he continued to glare at her.

Kagome turned her head to the ground and muttered an apology. Kouga turned away from her and said, "Come on, we better hurry up and get to the Inn." With that he began walking away from her. Soon he could hear the soft footsteps of the girl as she followed him.

A/N: OK, I know. Kouga was kinda harsh in that one and he slapped her… but she deserved it! So, next chapter! The Hoshi Inn. Please read and review everyone!


	4. Painful Memories and the Hoshi Inn

A/N: OK, new chapter. Hoora… OK, I may not sound to excited about this because yesterday I spent 5 hours in a hospital… then I found out that there was nothing wrong with me and I had to have an IV in my arm for nothing! Those bitches hurt like hell and I had to get dressed with it in my arm and the needle was like a whole inch long! So I am pissed and I will now write the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha.

Learning to Let Go

Chapter three Painful Memories and the Hoshi Inn

Kouga and Kagome walked the rest of the way to the inn in silence. Kagome could still feel the sting of Kouga's slap on her cheek and was absently rubbing it as she stared at the snow that drifted from the cold winter sky. Her damp clothes were now beginning to freeze due to the frosty air and made Kagome shiver constantly. Kouga was deep in thought as he walked along the sidewalk. He kept thinking about the day that his whole life went to hell. The memory was etched into his mind and he remembered every detail.

FLASH BACK

A little girl huddled up into a tight bloody ball in the corner of a dark living room. A man who looked like Kouga stood above her with a clenched fist that was also covered in blood, as was his shoe that he used to keep kicking the little girl. A beautiful woman who reeked of alcohol cheered him on from the other side of the room. A boy ran over to the angered man and grabbed him by the leg, begging for him to stop. The man turned towards the boy and shoved him off his leg but a slightly older boy replaced him.

The man yet again knocked the other boy off and turned back to the girl. She looked to be about six years old and had tears running down her face that mixed with her blood as they fell. "Please stop daddy!" the child begged in a soft voice. "I'm sorry! I'll never do it again, I swear!" she cried. The man tossed his head back and laughed at her.

His laughing stopped as soon as it had started when he felt sharp teeth dig into his ankle. With a cry, he began to pound on the skull of his son who had bitten him, trying to make him let go. The younger Kouga winced but continued to bite his father, only lifting his head when he shouted to the other boy.

"Koibito, go call the police before he kills Kamarii!" he shouted before plunging his teeth back into the ankle. The older boy nodded and dashed for the phone, passing the drunken woman who was Kouga's mother and his aunt Uriko. Kouga watched as his cousin disappeared around the hall and turned his attention back to his father. His head was now beginning to pound fiercely and he could feel a small amount of blood trickle down his face.

The girl who was huddled up in the corner took advantage of the distracted man and ran. She didn't make it very far before her father's arm whipped out and grabbed her by her small pony-tail. With a scream, she fell to the floor with her hands up on the man's hands. Her small claws her dug into them as he tried to pull her back. Swiftly, he kicked Kouga off of him and continued to beat the child senseless. Koibito ran back into the room and lunged at his uncle. He turned quickly and slapped the boy away as if he were merely a fly. Koibito's head made contact with the wall and was knocked unconscious. He slumped to the floor as Kouga lunged back at him.

Kouga wrapped his arms around his father's neck just as his ears began to pick up the sound of sirens. 'Yes! They'll make it in time!' Kouga thought as his father fought to shake him off. Kouga cast his eyes down to his little sister but noticed that something was wrong. Her small body was slumped up against the wall and her chest has ceased to rise. Kouga panicked as his father threw him off at the wall near his cousin. The last thing he saw before he fell unconscious was his father kicking the body of his now dead sister.

END FLASH BACK

Kouga looked up to see that he had arrived at the inn. A faint glow came from the orange stained windows and spilled softly across the snow littered street. The windows were like checkered panels that had frost on the edges of each square. The building was three stories tall and in random windows he could see lights shining out. Kouga turned to see that Kagome had also stopped by him and was looking up at the building too. The paint on the sign was worn off slightly and the lights above it glowed faintly and flickered every now and then.

Kouga slowly walked to the door and pushed it open with a loud squeak. As soon as he walked in he was overwhelmed by the smell of people and liquor. He looked around to see one of his best friends standing behind the bar, offering a young, beautiful girl a drink. "I thought you said this place was an inn." Said Kagome as she looked around with interest. Ginta and Hakkaku were by the fireplace talking to one of their many homeless friends.

Kouga sighed and turned around to face the curious girl. "It is an inn. The owner decided to add a bar to it to attract more customers." Kouga said as he pointed to the guy behind the bar. "And girls." He added. Kagome nodded an understanding and began to look around once more. With a sigh Kouga left Kagome and went to go talk to the man behind the bar. "Hey Miroku! Long time no see!" said Kouga as he took one of the bar stools and sat on it with a loud thump. Miroku looked up from the girl he was talking to and gave him a lop sided grin.

"Hey Kouga!" said Miroku as he made an apology to the girl and walked over to his friend. "What have you bee up to? You never come to see me anymore! I feel so forgotten!" Miroku said with fake pain I his voice. Kouga laughed and whapped him. Miroku laughed too and rubbed his newly abused arm. "You didn't have to hit me." He said jokingly. His black hair was pulled back into a small ponytail as usual and his purple eyes sparkles in the dim light.

"I know I didn't have to but I felt like it." Kouga joked back. Miroku glared at Kouga who laughed again. "So, buddy old pal! Do you have any news for me?" Kouga asked in a now serious tone. Miroku's bright eyes darkened and his grin became a thin line on his face. He looked around and leaned forwards on the bar.

"Koibito's in town." He said slowly. Kouga growled lowly and clenched his fist. Ever since the accident with Kamarii, Koibito had hated him. He blamed Kouga for her death saying that he could have saved her if he really had tried. But both of them knew that nothing could be done but Koibito just wouldn't let it go. Kouga looked back up to his friend who looked just as angry as he did at the moment. Miroku shared a mutual hatred for Koibito ever since he met him several years ago. Miroku wouldn't tell him what happened but he knew it must have been bad to make this happy go lucky guy so mad.

"He also left you a note." He said as he sat up and dug in his pocket. He pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper that was folded several times and handed it to Kouga. Kouga glared at the paper as he began to unfold it. After a while of reading it Kouga threw it down in rage. Koibito always did things like this to him! He couldn't stand it but he'd just have to deal for a while before he leaves again. The note read-

_Dear Kouga,_

I am pleased to inform you that I will be coming to stay with you for a while. As we both know, I have recently been thrown out of my penthouse apartment and I need a place to stay for a while. You had better arrange a room for me in your home, or do you still not have one? No matter, if you still live on the streets then I'll just stay in a hotel. But you had better be ready for me to visit because I'll be there tomorrow!

_Sincerely,_

_ Koibito_

Kouga muttered thanks to Miroku for the note and went over to the fire where Ginta and Hakkaku were talking to Kagome. "Hey Kouga." Ginta smiled, looking up at his friend. Kouga grumbled and plopped down on a soft chair next to Hakkaku. Kagome looked at him but turned her head when he looked back at her. "So Kagome, do you have a house?" Ginta asked.

Kagome blushed slightly and rubbed the back of her head. "No, not really. When I decided to…you know what, I sold my old house and put all my money in the bank. I guess I have about… 13,000 in there but I'm not sure." Kagome said slowly as she thought over the amount of money she had. Ginta's jaw dropped as he stared at her, as did hakkaku's and Kouga's.

"13,000!" Ginta shouted at her. Kagome blushed and nodded in agreement. Hakkaku wiped the drool from his lips as he thought about the money. Kagome shifted nervously in her chair as the three stared at her. Kouga was first to gain his normal self again and sat up straight in his chair to look at Kagome.

"How in the hell can you talk about that much money as if it were nothing?" he asked as he stared into her chocolaty-brown eyes. Kagome shrugged and looked the other way towards the fire. The flames reflected shadows across her face as they danced in the hearth. They seemed to be calling to her but she just sat still and stared at them until her eyes began to burn from the light. Kouga sighed and leaned back again in his chair. Several moment passed by before they began to speak and it was Hakkaku who broke the silence.

"Hey Kagome, if you have all that money then why don't you buy a house? And if you do could we live with you?" he asked hopefully. Kagome looked at him with a confused look in her eyes and was about to answer but didn't have a chance due to the loud interruption at the door.

"HELLO EVERYBODY!" shouted the man at the door. He had long black hair that was pulled into a low ponytail and icy blue eyes like Kouga. They looked so much alike but the only difference was that his tail was linger and fluffier. Kouga stared with his jaw hung open. It was Koibito.

A/N: Yep! I updated my story twice in the same day! Laughs evilly I feel soooooo good now! Except for the fact that I am horrible sun burned on my stomach and other areas on the top of me… and it's all your fault Jeff! Ooo you know who you are! If I wasn't talking to you on the phone then I wouldn't be in so much pain! Oh curse you! But anyways, please read and review!


	5. Unwanted Guests

A/N: OK I have decided for the first time in this story to thank my reviewers! HOORA! Hugs and kisses for all! Now let's get this thing started.

Darkenedmoonlightflame- OK, thanks for the tip! I didn't know that houses cost that much… hehehe but how can you blame me? I'm only 13! But I guess that I could just say that it was a very crappy house… but thanks for the review

Hoshi-chan1- :tilts head too: ok, I will! Thanks for reviewing!

Jeff- Hello Jeff! Jeff is my friend just to let you other people know! And he's Koibito… he wanted to be in the story and his yahoo s/n has Koibito in it so that is his name! Anyways, thanks for the review

Pointy Objects- lol I know this is drama! But it's not very good in my opinion… but thanks for the many reviews!

Kishiro-Kitsune05- well you got your wish! Kouga saved her… and now many other things shall happen :hits her brother: not those kinds of things you pervert! Thanks for the review

Serenitygirl13- it was… and here I was thinking it was depressing… well I'm soooooo glad you like it! thanks!

AnimeLover18- thanks for the review! I don't know what else to say…

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha

Learning to Let Go

Chapter four Unwanted Guests

Kouga stared at the door in shock. He knew that Koibito was coming but he thought that he'd at least have a little more time to prepare for his so called "visit". Kouga threw a glance over to Miroku who had also stopped what he was doing to look at the newcomer. A soft growl arose from Ginta and Hakkaku who were behind Kouga. They also hated Koibito and would do anything to rid the inn of him. He also noticed that all the people in the inn were dead silent. Like Ginta and Hakkaku, they all new about him and hated him for his treacheries against Kouga and Miroku. They also knew about Kamarii and disagreed with Koibito's thoughts of Kouga being the main reason of her death.

Kouga calmly walked over to his cousin and the people who were in his path quickly moved out of the way. They did not want to be a part of the fight that was sure to come between the two wolf demons. Koibito's grin slowly faded into a look of seriousness and displeasure. As Kouga reached him, Koibito arranged his footing so that he was ready for any attack that may come. Kouga glared daggers at his cousin before speaking.

"Koibito, may I ask what you are doing here so early?" Kouga asked more viciously than the question should be. Koibito's eyes suddenly filled with a burning excitement at the thought of fighting with Kouga. Kouga flinched at the look in Koibito's eyes but held his ground. There was no way that he was going to back down now. Koibito had dared to come in to his territory and insult him and he was not going to let him get away with it. Kouga stood still, waiting for an answer but then noticed that Koibito's attention was elsewhere. He was staring straight behind him. Kouga turned to see what Koibito was staring at and met the eyes of a very confused Kagome.

Koibito's grin returned as he pushed past Kouga and made his way towards Kagome. With his quick footing it was only a matter of seconds before he made it to the raven-haired girl. Koibito's hand snaked out and wrapped around her waist, pulling her in close to himself. "And who is this fair maiden?" Koibito said with a husky voice. Kagome blushed at his sudden embrace and tried to pull away but failed when his grip on her tightened. Ginta and Hakkaku growled at Koibito but he either didn't hear or chose not to react. Koibito stared at Kagome with a strange look in his eyes that made her look away with an even stronger blush.

"Koibito, let go of her." Kouga ground out. Somehow without Koibito noticing, he had made it back to him and Kagome with out a sound. He rested is hand on Koibito's shoulder and dug his claws into the other demons flesh with such force that it made Koibito flinch. Little drops of blood collected on Kouga's claws and on his enemies shoulder. The droplets of blood slowly rolled down his back and tickled Kouga's senses making him crave the red liquid even more. Koibito must have noticed Kouga's sudden bloodlust because he quickly let go of Kagome and turned to face his foe.

"What is it that you want, cousin?" Koibito said in a low menacing voice. "I was just getting to know this fine specimen of a woman here and you interrupted me. And what is this lovely lady's name?" Koibito asked mockingly making Kouga's anger rise. Here was another thing that ticked Kouga off. Kagome was now his property after rescuing her and Koibito dared to tread on her too. Oh how he loathed his pathetic excuse for a cousin. He was always trying to make him angry and usually succeeded, making him fight with him that usually ended in bloodshed and the loss of the use of a body part for some time. Kouga made a challenging growl to Koibito and he answered him by growling back.

The screeching of chairs could be heard as the occupants of the inn scrambled to make room for the fight that was sure to go down in a matter of seconds. Ginta and Hakkaku swept Kagome off her feet and away from the scene. Many people had gathered on the stairs to witness the fighting while the woman ushered children up to the rooms and out of the front door. Miroku who had witnessed the fighting between the family members before rushed over to them both to stop them before and damage was done. "There will be no fighting in my inn, if you have a problem then you better settle it outside and if not then just get over it." said Miroku.

Kouga huffed as he backed away from the two. He knew very well that Miroku would be royally ticked at him if anything happened to his inn due to him and his cousin's fighting. Koibito also backed down but quickly made his way back to Kagome. With no effort at all he swept her into his arms and planted a swift kiss on her lips. "Well, my love. I see that I am not wanted here and I shall go find somewhere else to stay, but I will come back again just to see you." Koibito said as he winked at Kagome before turning away from his now raging cousin and the dazed Kagome. After Koibito had gone and the door closed behind him, Kouga turned quickly to glare at Kagome.

"Who do you think you are kissing that jerk?" Kouga shouted at her. Kagome stared at him with her mouth open before quickly closing it. Her chocolaty brown eyes shone with rage as she stared at the wolf demon. Kouga gulped and moved backwards away from the enraged girl before him. 'Make a mental note never to get her angry again.' Kouga thought as Kagome took a step towards him. He could smell the sudden change of emotion in her scent coward from it.

"How _DARE_ you tell me to do and what not to do." Kagome shouted as she poked a harsh finger into the terrified demon's chest. Kagome's eyes were now ablaze with the release of her anger and bore into Kouga's leaving him unable to defend himself. He could hear the loud beating of her enraged heart and knew that he was royally screwed. A sudden sense of terror washed over Kouga and his friends as the angry girl before them stabbed an angry finger into Kouga's chest.

Many people who knew Kouga knew that he never put up with this sort of stuff even from a woman. And the onlookers of this miniature war knew that any second the young wolf demon would lash out at her with insults to spare. But then they were all surprised at what they heard next. "I'm sorry, please don't hurt me." Was the sorry excuse of a comeback that Kouga whimpered as he quickly shielded his face with his arms. Amusement could be seen in the ebony haired girls eyes as she backed away from the frightened wolf demon and covered her mouth to hide the smile that now graced her delicate lips.

Hushed voices were heard in the small audience that resided on the stairs and in the front door. Kouga took his strong arms away from his face and looked at the crowd and the now grinning Miroku. Anger and embarrassment soon replaced the fear inside of him and the faintest blush stained his tan cheeks. Kouga looked towards the also grinning Kagome and sighed in defeat. "I'll be in my room if anyone needs me." Kouga mumbled so lowly that only the people closest to them could hear. Kouga made his way to the stairs slowly and all the people in his way took no time moving from the wolf's path.

Now, even though Kouga was poor he sometimes had a room at the Houshi inn. Whenever Kouga was in need of shelter from the long, cold, Tokyo winter nights, Miroku would fix up a nice big room with a fireplace especially for his best friend. Kouga's worn out boots made a soft clunking noise on the polished wood floors. Small lamps lightly illuminated the narrow halls and gave it an eerie glow. Kouga's head was hung low as he made his way towards his room. Within no time he made it to his destination. Kouga looked up from the floor and peered at the door of the room that Miroku had given him.

The door was made of a heavy oak and had tarnished gold handles. The wood was a deep, beautiful brown that perfectly matched the deep colored walls of the hallway. Kouga reached out slowly and turned the knob to the door. The door eased open with a loud creak and a softer one on the polished wooden floors as Kouga walked in. The bed on the far right side of the room had comforters on it that looked as if they were made from the softest lamb wool and the pillows looked soft and welcoming. The bed frame was just as the door was but it was polished so much that it reflected Kouga's face.

Kouga kicked off his boots and walked further into the room, stepping on the lambskin rug that lay in the middle of the floor. The soft crackling of the fire eased Kouga's nerves and relaxed him as he lay on the soft bed that Miroku had provided. Kouga's icy blue eyes were slightly glazed with his lack of sleep. He closed his eyes slowly, staring at the flames that seemed to dance in the hearth. At last Kouga was asleep. His soft breathing relaxed him further and his sleeping face portrayed his emotions as most sleeping faces do. The light from the fire danced across his angle like face making him look like the perfect image of innocence.

Kouga began to snore softly as the door opened to reveal the figure of a young woman. The girl slowly walked to Kouga as not to wake him and sat gently on his bed at his side. With the soft motion of her hand she tucked the few hairs that had escaped his ponytail back into place and slid her hand down to cup his cheek. Slowly the ebony haired girl lowered her face to his and gently placed a kiss on his lips. And just as quickly as she had come, she left the room, only to linger for a moment in the doorway. "Thank you, Kouga." She said as she closed the heavy oak door and made her way silently through the halls of the Hoshi inn.

A/N: OK, two kisses in this chapter, both of which were not returned by the other person! Yes, I'm on a roll! Sorry that it took me so long to do this chapter, I kept forgetting to send it to my dads' house and I couldn't finish it! But anyways, please R&R! .


	6. A New Character Revealed

A/N: Omg! I loved the ending of my last chapter! It was longer than usual because of the review thanks and stuff like that… but I'm kinda at loss because I have no clue what to write now so I'm just gonna wing it! Usually I stay up and play how the chapter is gonna go through my mind but it's not dark and I'm not tired! So here's the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha because if I did then InuYasha would have died _long _ago!

Learning to let go

Chapter five A New Character Revealed

Kouga's eyes fluttered open slowly as he took in his surroundings. He was in the room that Miroku had given him but he smelt something odd in the air. Kouga sniffed around, still lying down, and smelt jasmine and sakura trees. '_That's odd… I didn't smell this before I fell asleep."_ Kouga thought as he sat up slowly and pulled on his shirt that had somehow come off. When that was done Kouga stood up and stretched with a loud yawn. With his eyes closed halfway, he slowly made his was to the heavy door of his room and opened it with a loud creak.

Suddenly Kouga was hit with the strong aroma of cooking bacon and eggs and began to drool. He hadn't had a good breakfast since the last time he stayed the night at the Hoshi Inn and that had been about five months ago. Kouga now walked through the hall that seemed to be endless and made his way down the wooden steps with a creak every time he set his foot down. About halfway down Kouga could see that the main floor was full of life.

Men sat at tables laughing and drinking with their friends, despite the early hour. And woman sat at other tables scolding their children to use good manners and not use their hands to so carelessly shove the food in their mouths. Waitresses were also running about with big trays of beer and food. When one of the waitresses made her way past Miroku, his so-called "cursed" hand snaked out and touched her backside. With a loud smack and the word 'pervert' Miroku was on the ground unconscious and the girl was off again, serving tables.

Kouga laughed to himself as he walked the rest of the way down the stair and then saw something that made him stop in his tracks. There was Kagome with her hair pulled up in a high pony-tail just like his and she was in the little "uniform" that Miroku had assigned for all the waitresses to wear which looked so much like a maid's outfit that it was scary. She was serving a table of five men who kept laughing and leaning back in their chairs, already tipsy in the early hour. Once Kagome had finished with that table, she walked away and saw Kouga from the corner of her eye. She smiled briefly before disappearing behind the heavy swinging doors that led into the kitchen.

Kouga again began to walk down the stairs and soon seated himself at the almost full bar where Miroku, who had just regained consciousness, was really living up to his reputation of the best bartender in all Tokyo. Just like Kagome, he smiled at Kouga quickly before going back to work. "Hey Miroku, can you give me a beer?" Kouga asked loudly so that Miroku could hear over the loud shouts that rang through the inn every few seconds. Finally the traffic had slowed down and Miroku was able to talk to Kouga so he walked over to his side of the bar and leaned his head onto his hands.

Miroku smiled at his friend with the slight twinkle of mischief that always seemed to glow within his violet orbs. "Do you have any money, Kouga?" Miroku asked already knowing the answer. Kouga sighed and glared at his friend. Of course Kouga didn't have any money because if he did then he would have gotten some new clothes instead of continuously wearing the old, ripped ones that he had now. Miroku grinned again and grabbed a mug. He was filling it up when he said, "You know Kouga, Kagome is a pretty good worker. She insisted that she worked off the fee for your room and has been waiting tables all morning. And might I add, she looks ravishing in the uniform." Kouga growled at his last comment as bopped him on the head, which earned him a nice yelp from the startled Miroku.

Miroku then handed the mug to Kouga who picked it up and drank greedily from it. Kouga would have to talk to Kagome about working here because if he knew one thing, Miroku could never keep his hands to himself when it came to the waitresses who worked here, especially Sango. And Kouga didn't have to wait much longer because as soon as he set down his mug, a very cheerful Kagome walked over to him and set a plate of eggs and bacon down in front of him. "From the cook, she said that you might need something to eat seeing as how you didn't eat dinner last night." Kagome said with a smile. Kouga looked at the food and then to Kagome's smiling face and felt a squeeze in his heart. Now he knew why he loved her so much. She reminded him so much of his little sister.

The way that her hair fell in front of her face, the sparkle in her eyes, and her happy attitude. As he stared at her, memories of him and his sister flashed through his mind like a speeding bullet. Kouga was brought back into reality when he heard a loud ring and someone yelling relatively close to him. He looked back up at Kagome who was now walking back to the kitchen yelling something about how she'll be there and for them to just keep their pants on. Kouga chuckled as he watched her disappear into the kitchen and walk out with a large tray stacked with food. He watched as she took the tray to a table of with about eight men who kept staring at her as she handed them the food.

Then as one of the men tried his chances with her by slowly brining his hand up to her behind, Kouga began to growl loudly. How dare that bastard try to touch what's his! Kouga began to growl even louder when his hand made contact with Kagome and her face turned a very dark shade of red. But before he could react Kagome, who had already recovered, slammed the now empty tray into the face of the man and sent him flying back in his chair. Kouga sat there for a moment, staring at Kagome, who was now red faced and breathing heavily, standing over the man with the tray in her hands.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you how to treat a lady?" Miroku said as he walked over to them and helped the man up. He had seen the whole thing from behind the bar while flirting with Sango, who was on her coffee break, and couldn't help but laugh. He had no clue that Kagome was that strong. Miroku looked down to the man that had offended Kagome and smiled. "I hope that you won't try that again because next time Kagome may not be so gentle." Miroku said. His smile grew as he watched the man suddenly pale. "Well, I'm going back to the bar to serve the people that just walked in." Miroku said as he pointed back at the people that had just walked in. "Oh, and Kagome, there's someone that I'd like you to meet. Her name is Sango Hara and she works here too. I think that you two may get along very nicely." Miroku said as he walked back to the bar.

Kagome followed him quickly and smiled at Kouga as she passed. When they made it to where the girl was sitting, Miroku began to talk. "Sango, there's someone that I'd like you to meet." He said as the girl turned to face them. Sango, as Kagome now knew, was beautiful. Her long chocolate colored hair was tied up in a ponytail much like Kagome's and her bangs hung in front of her huge brown eyes. Her face looked soft and delicate but the fire in her eyes told you that she wasn't. She was slim and well built but not in a way that made her look buff. "Sango, this is Kagome Higurashi, Kagome, this is Sango Hara." Miroku said as the two girls each offered a hand to shake.

Sango smiled at Kagome and Kagome likewise. "Nice to meet you." They both said at the same time. "Here, have a seat." Sango said as she pulled a dark wooden chair out for Kagome to sit on. Kagome sat down quickly and nodded her thanks. "So, I guess you've met the pervert." Sango said as she looked at Miroku out of the corner of her eye and earned a laugh from Kagome.

Kagome smiled and looked back at Miroku too who was now chatting with Kouga about god knows what. "He's not that bad." Kagome said kindly. Sango nodded and looked at her coffee. "So, how long have you worked here?" Kagome asked the brown-eyed girl before her. "I just started this morning, I promised Miroku that I would work off Kouga's debt to him by working here as a waitress and he gladly excepted. I mean, it's the least I can do for him after he saved me…" Kagome said, looking down ay her soft hands.

Sango looked up at Kagome with confusion and said, "What do you mean, 'saved' you?" Kagome looked up and shook her head. Sango stared at her for a moment longer before answering her question. "I've been working here for three weeks now. The pay's nice and sometimes I get great tips. I love working here but Miroku is a problem. If it wasn't for the good pay then I would be long gone by now." Sango said with a smile. Kagome laughed and looked into the other girl's eyes and knew that what she said wasn't true. Despite Miroku's behavior at times, he was a pretty great guy.

Kagome looked back at her hands and sighed. "Earlier when I said that Kouga saved me, I meant that he helped me. Have you ever heard of InuYasha Takahashi?" Kagome asked, and when the other girl nodded she continued. "Well, he was my boyfriend and when he died I freaked. I guess I started to go insane and when I finally couldn't take it anymore, I jumped off the bridge over Tokyo bay. But Kouga wouldn't have any of that." Kagome laughed. "Even though he didn't know me, he jumped over the edge and grabbed me just so I wouldn't die. And now that I think of it, I'm glad he did. Now I relies that my life isn't that bad and I guess I owe him for giving me a second chance." Kagome finished. She looked over to Sango and was surprised to see that she had tears in her eyes.

Sango hugged Kagome and when she pulled away she began to talk. "I also went through something like that. My family was killed in a car crash too, even my little brother who wasn't even born yet. For eight months I had been so excited to have a little brother and couldn't wait until he was born. Then, one day I went over to my friend's for the day and my mother went into labor while I was there. My father raced her to the hospital and as most fathers do, but he drove to fast to get there and ended up crashing into the back of an 18-wheeler and bounced back into another one.

"And the whole time that this was happening, I was having fun with my friend, not even thinking about my parents. Then when I heard I went hysterical too. I wouldn't talk to anyone for weeks and finally my friend's mother, who was taking care of me, sent me to a foster home because she said that she couldn't take me not talking anymore." Sango said. By the end, Kagome was crying and hugging her too. Then she pulled away and smiled at her new friend.

Kagome looked over to the kitchen to see that the cook was glaring at them and waving for them to come back. "Well, I guess it's time to go back to work." Kagome said cheerfully, making Sango groan. Kagome laughed and grabbed her hand, pulling her to the kitchen as fast as she could. "Come on Sango!" Kagome laughed as they passed by the two men that were watching them the whole time. Sango looked to Miroku with a look in her eye saying, 'Help me!' as she was being pulled away.

Kouga watched the two go and looked back at Miroku. "I wonder what that was all about." He said to his friend. All Kouga got was a shrug and an, 'I don't know' before he went back to his beer. Kouga thought his day was going great until a familiar scent hit him. "Oh my Kami… he's back!" Kouga groaned just as soon as the man that he least wanted to see walked through the doors with a wide smile on his face.

A/N: OK, this chappie sucks bum! I know! I was just trying to finish it because I haven't updated in forever! So please, no flames!


	7. He's Back

A/N: OK, here's another chappie! Hoora! Maybe I can get this one on before I go to bed…that would be sooo great…but I doubt I will… 0.0 whoa… well, here's my new chapter! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha…

Learning to Let Go

Chapter six He's Back…

Kouga groaned and slammed his head down onto the bar. 'Why did _he_ have to come back?' Kouga thought angrily. Scenes from yesterday flashed into his mind. Kouga would not let him get near Kagome this time. Kouga swiveled around in his chair to face his cousin. "Koibito, back so soon?" Kouga asked sarcastically. Koibito's gaze darkened when he looked over to Kouga.

Then he flashed him a brilliant smile. "I just couldn't get enough of you yesterday so I just had to come back." Koibito shot back. By then most of the customers had stopped what they were doing yet again to watch the two angry wolves. "Oh, and where's Kagome? I wish to pay her a little visit." Koibito asked tauntingly, just to anger his cousin. And just as he finished, Kagome shot out of the kitchen with another tray of food but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Koibito standing in the doorway. "Oh there you are!" Koibito said joyfully, now walking towards her with his arms outspread.

Kagome sweat dropped and began to back away slowly. Koibito was getting closer when she backed up against a table, shaking the glass mugs in the process, which made a light tinkling noise. "So your back, I see." Kagome said uneasily as Koibito took her into his arms. By now Kouga was furious. He couldn't believe that Koibito would barge in here and fondle with his personal property. Well, actually he could believe that Koibito would do that but that was beside the point.

Kouga began to walk over to where the two were standing and placed a hand on his cousin's shoulder. "Get your grubby hands offa her, Koibito." Kouga said menacingly as he glared daggers into the back of Koibito. Reluctantly, Koibito let go of her and slowly turned to face with an angered look in his eyes. Koibito hated many things, his cousin, potatoes, and being interrupted when he's enjoying a moment with a woman. Kouga flinched but didn't step down. And Kagome, who was now free of Koibito's hold, scrambled away from the two with her tray of food.

Koibito growled as he watched her go then turned back to Kouga. "May I ask what you were thinking when you interrupted Kagome and I?" Koibito asked just as menacingly as Kouga's first statement was. I haven't seen her for a whole day and I missed her, so I came to see her. And what do I get for it? I'm interrupted by my coward cousin who is to afraid to save even his own sisters life!" Koibito screamed, now enraged. Another thing he hated was the death of his beloved cousin, Kamarii. She was the only one in the family who had understood him and his problems. He grew to love her as a sister and then her father attacked her and Kouga just stood there and watched her die.

With that comment in the air, Kouga was outraged too. Koibito knew that there was nothing that he could have done and that he even tried to protect her, but his father was just to strong. And even the idea that it was his fault for her death outraged him even more. Kouga had loved his sister more than Koibito could know. Inside their world of disaster they had each other for comfort. When their parents were fighting because of the alcohol in their systems, Kouga would protect Kamarii. And most of the time when she did something wrong, Kouga would take the blame so as that she never got hurt. "How dare you say that! You were there when it happened! You could have stopped him if you thought it was so easy. We were 10! There was nothing that we could have done." Kouga ground out through clenched teeth.

Koibito heard what Kouga said but chose to ignore it. Now matter how many times he told him, he would always believe what he wanted and that would never change. "Oh yes you could have! A swift bite to the throat, a quick jab to the pressure point in his neck. There are a lot of things that you could have done differently. But did you do any of these? No, you didn't. And you could have, oh you could have. He was so drunk that he might not have even noticed!" Koibito spit out. His mind told him to stop but his rage wouldn't allow it. He was going to push Kouga off the edge, even if he died trying. Before the day was over he was going to make Kouga feel all the pain that Kamarii had that day and more.

Kouga had finally had enough. He lunged out at his cousin, claws out and his fangs grown to about three times their normal length. But just before he could strike, Koibito disappeared. 'Where'd he go?' Kouga thought frantically as his eyes bled red. "Looking for me, cousin?" Koibito asked as his claws made contact with Kouga's back. Kouga howled with pain but quickly recovered and turned to face his foe. He stared at Koibito who was now slowly licking the blood from his claws with a smile plastered on his lips, revealing his pear like fangs. Kouga growled and lunged again, only to be slammed into the ground when Koibito jumped up and kicked him in the back.

"All these years and you're still not a very skilled fighter." Koibito taunted as he dodged Kouga's every attack. Kouga was in fact a very skilled fighter, but when he was angry the anger clouded his mind and he was unable to think of any tactics and could only think of ripping out his opponents throat and what their blood would taste like. Kouga's growling continued to rise as he made attempt after attempt to get Koibito. Finally Koibito had had enough of these games and began to get serious. "No more games, Kouga. It's time to teach you real pain!" Koibito screamed as his eyes also bled red and he began to chop at him mercilessly with his claws. Kouga was already on the ground by then and but Koibito didn't care. He was going to kill Kouga to avenge the death of Kamarii. Or at least he thought he was.

"_Stop it now_!" someone shouted from Koibito's back. How dare someone interrupt him when he was about to accomplish what he had so ling dreamed for. Koibito turned slowly to see Kagome standing there with her hands clenched and tears streaming down her soft face. "Just stop it!" she commanded. "He's had enough, now leave him alone!" Kagome cried. Koibito just grunted and turned back to Kouga with his claws raised and was about to deal him the final blow when he felt something latch onto his arm. With an annoyed look he tilted his head to the side and saw Kagome holding onto his arm. "I said leave him alone!" she shouted angrily. Then Kagome let go and threw herself at Kouga, who was now unconscious and bleeding everywhere.

Kagome slowly turned him over and laid his head in her lap. She then began to rock him softly and whispered words of comfort into his pointy ears. Kagome looked up with tears in her eyes that were now running down faster than before. "Don't just stand there! Someone call an ambulance!" Kagome shouted at the customers who were just standing there with dumbfounded looks on their faces. She then looked back down at Kouga who had a cut on his forehead that seemed to be deep. The blood from the cut was now running down his face and onto Kagome's lap.

Kagome was sobbing when Kouga opened his eyes and took her hand in his. "Hey, it's ok Kagome, don't cry. I'll be just fine, I'm a demon remember?" Kouga said as if that made everything better. Kagome bit her lips and hugged Kouga, only to let go when she heard the loud ringing of sirens as they came closer to the Inn. Miroku quickly ran towards the two and pried Kagome off Kouga. He then took out a cloth and started to dab the blood away from Kouga's many cuts and gashes. Just as he was finished, two paramedics rushed in with a stretcher. They then lifted Kouga up onto it and strapped him down.

And then as they were walking outside, one of them turned around to face Miroku and Kagome. "We have room for one person, which one of you wants to go." He said and waited for them to make their decision. Kagome looked up at Miroku with a hopeful look in her eyes and smiled when he nodded. She then gave him a quick hug before rushing after the paramedics. Once she was inside the ambulance, they closed the door and drove off. Miroku, who was outside watching them go along with everyone else, turned to Koibito and punched him. With a stunned look on his face Koibito raised his hand to touch the offended cheek and flinched when he found that it hurt.

"That's for what you did to Kouga, and if you stick around here I'm sure that these men will help me give you the rest of the pain you caused." Miroku said coldly. Sango was at his side with a deadly look in her eyes that was currently fixed on Koibito. If he hadn't have gotten the hint earlier, it was clear now when he looked into the eyes of the deadly woman in front of him. With a sneer, Koibito turned and began to walk away. Once he was gone Miroku sighed and looked down at Sango. "I sure hope that Kouga's alright, he took a pretty serious beating." Miroku said, the worry clear in his voice.

With a smile Sango looked back up into Miroku's violet eyes. "I'm sure everything will be just fine. Don't worry, he has Kagome there." She said. Miroku nodded softly and looked back down the road where the sounds of fading sirens could be heard.

Kagome sat with her hands laced next to Kouga's sleeping form. The paramedic said that Kouga would be fine once they got him to the hospital and gave him more blood. The wounds on his back weren't as bad as they seemed either but they bled a lot. But one thing that worried Kagome was the gash in his chest. The man said that if it had been any lower Kouga would be a goner. Kagome frowned and began to rub his cheek softly with her thumb. That's the last time that she'll ever let Koibito touch him. If this is what happens when they're together then she was going to do all that she could to keep them apart. Kagome smiled when she saw that Kouga was now smiling with her touch. "It's going to be ok, Kouga. I'm here for you and I always will be." She said as the ambulance pulled into the emergency entrance.

A/N: OK, don't kill me! . I wanted a kind of sad end to this chapter and this was the first thing that I cam up with… but it's kinda mushy! . And I like mushy stuff! So please review my story! And read my others if you want to, they're pretty good I guess….


	8. NOT A CHAPTER

NOT A CHAPTER! I'm sorry but for a while I am putting Learning to Let Go, Blood Lust, and Yuurei on hiatus. I have so many things to do lately and I can't find the time to write at all. But don't worry; these stories are not being closed down. Every once in a while I will type a bit more. Please continue to look for oncoming chapters.


	9. Hospital Stays and Stolen Kisses

A/N: sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I was in Missouri visiting my dad and I couldn't get any free time to write! Sorry! cries But anyways, here's the next chappie! Enjoy! Plus, there may be a few new characters! I just want you to know that the new ones that will stay in the story are my friends with different names! I thought that they may like to be in them so here they are! Or...here they come. .

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha and I never will.

Learning to Let Go

Chapter seven Hospitals Stays and Stolen Kisses

Kagome held tightly onto Kouga's hand as the paramedics wheeled him to the emergency room. The blood that had been flowing from the cut on Kouga's forehead had stopped some time after they had entered the ambulance and some more of his cuts had been bandaged as well. Tears streamed down Kagome's face as she stared at Kouga's beaten form. 'How could I let this happen?' Kagome thought solemnly. 'This is my entire fault… if it wasn't for me Kouga wouldn't be this badly injured.'

But her thought diminished as they pushed the stretcher that held the unconscious Kouga into a different room. As Kagome tried to enter, a large old woman gently grabber her arm and shook her head. "Ye are not allowed in there child. Now come with me so ye can sit down and wait." The woman then led Kagome's crying form into the waiting room. As she set her down and was about to walk away, Kagome asked something in a strangled voice.

"He'll be ok, right? He won't die will he?" Kagome stared up at the old woman with very large brown eyes that were red and puffy from crying. The old woman's shoulders sagged and she took a deep breath. Her one good eye looked Kagome over. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying and her hair looked ragged and full of knots. She could see the worry radiating from her body and her face was pale were the redness wasn't showing.

"Aye, child. He shall be just fine. The injuries that he sustained are nothing for a demon. He lost quite a lot of blood but it will be replaced quickly." She said reassuringly. When she saw that Kagome had eased a bit, she turned and left the room. 'Poor child.' She thought sadly. 'Ye are so young and yet ye have to face such difficulties.'

Kagome sat still and began to let her mind wander. It wandered back to the fight between Kouga and Koibito. Why were they fighting over her? It was obvious that Koibito liked her but Kouga? There was no way. As Kagome pondered, doctors and nurses wheeled many patients past her. 'What happened to these poor people?' Kagome asked herself. 'Had they been in fights with demons too? Or had they just been in accidents?' she asked again.

Then, Kagome lowered her head and began to cry again. 'Stupid girl!' she told herself. 'Stop being such a baby! You cry over everything no matter how small it is.' She thought, remembering InuYasha. He had always told her that and also mentioned that it always got on his nerves. 'Maybe that's why he left…' she said to herself. 'Maybe he could stand me being such a cry baby anymore.'

"Kagome!" cried a woman from down the hall. Kagome looked up with blurry eyes and smiled when she recognized the face. It was Sango. She and Miroku had taken his car to get there and it took longer than the ambulance had. "Oh my Kami, I'm so sorry Kagome-chan!" she said, adding on chan to her name. Kagome blinked her tears away and embraced her friend who squeezed her tightly.

Sango wiped the tears that now gathered in her eyes and pulled back to look into the red eyes of her new best friend. "What happened? Is he going to be OK?" she asked. Kagome looked down the hall to where they had taken Kouga and shrugged gently. Her hair covered her face and hid the new tears that had sprung from her eyes.

"I don't know. The nurse wouldn't let me in there with him so I have no idea of how bad the injuries may be. She says that he had lost a lot of blood and that he would be fine but I can't help wondering." Kagome said and she buried her face in Sango's shirt and cried. Sango patted her back reassuringly and smiled.

"Everything will be fine, Kagome-chan. Kouga is a demon after all." She said, trying to comfort her. Slowly, Kagome's crying stopped and she pulled away from the dampened shoulder of Sango. "Now, let's wait for him to get out of the emergency room." She said as she led Kagome to sit down on one of the cold plastic chairs. Kagome nodded solemnly and followed.

It had been about an hour since Kouga had gone into the emergency room and Kagome was about to fall asleep when the same woman from earlier walked out of the door that they had led Kouga into. "Is he alright?" Kagome asked as the worry from before resurfaced on her delicate face. The woman gave her a shaky smile and nodded. "Oh thank goodness!" she cried as she threw her arms around the old woman's neck in a relieved embrace.

The woman stood there awkwardly before returning the hug. "He shall be fine, child. His demonic healing fixed most of the smaller wounds while we treated the others. Tis a powerful demon, he is." She said softly. "But the whole time we were in there he kept calling for a woman named 'Kagome.' I take it that's ye?" she asked. Kagome nodded slightly, trying to calm the bright blush that now adorned her normally pale face. A smile came across the woman's wrinkled lips as she grabbed her hand and began to pull her towards the door that she had just so recently exited from.

"Then thy shall come with me." She said gently as she pulled Kagome along with her. "I take it that ye has close relations with the demon, ay?" she asked, her old eyes twinkling. Kagome smiled and nodded again, still relieved that Kouga was going to be just fine. She had been sure that it would take much longer for him to heal after she had seen the wounds that Koibito had inflicted. Kagome silently prayed a thank you to every god that she could think of and smiled.

After several moments and many doors later, Kagome and the old woman made it to a room that hosted the now sleeping Kouga. His chest was bare and a small bandage was placed below his steadily beating heart. Tears began to yet again fill Kagome's eyes as she took in the sight of a very battered demon. A small nudge in her side brought her attention back to the old woman who now stood with her arms behind her back.

"It is alright for ye to stay with him. It would be best if it were thy's face that he saw when he awakes." She said softly, as not to disturbed Kouga. Kagome bowed to the older woman slightly before making her way to a small plastic orange chair that was placed next to Kouga's bed. His faced looked very relaxed and even though he had lost a lot of blood, the color of his face was perfectly normal.

"Lucky demon and your quick healing…" Kagome murmured as she took his rough hand in her smaller, more delicate one. 'He looks so peaceful while he's sleeping…' she though as her chocolate eyes rested on his face. Slowly her gaze moved down to his slightly parted lips and she fought the urge to kiss him. 'Get yourself together, girl. The last thing you need to do is molest him while he's sleeping!' she scolded herself mentally. But still the thought remained as she continued to look at him. 'Ok, maybe just one small kiss.' She decided.

She slowly put Kouga's hand back to his side and leaned up so that her face was only a few centimeters from his and began to blush furiously. Kagome had only once kissed someone in their sleep and even though the very thought disturbed her; she couldn't help herself in this situation. 'I've been waiting for hours to see if he was alright… I deserve this much!' she thought as she leaned down and gently placed her lips to his. Even though he was asleep, Kagome still enjoyed their brief kiss. She quickly pulled away from him, even more red faced than before and sat back down in the cold plastic chair with her hands folded neatly on her lap.

'Kagome you, you naughty girl! I can't believe you just did that!' she thought to herself, closing her eyes in embarrassment. 'Oh don't act like you didn't enjoy it!' she though back to herself with a coy smile on her lips. She slowly opened one eye to see that Kouga was still sleeping just as peacefully as ever. 'There, I didn't disturb him so I'm just fine.' She decided. Kagome yawned widely and looked at the clock. '10:30? Is that how long I've been waiting?' she thought to herself.

Stifling another yawn, Kagome quickly laid her head down on Kouga's bed and closed her eyes. 'A quick nap will do me good…' she thought as she began to drift into the land of dreams. 'I'm sure that I'll be awake when he wakes up.' She thought with a smile. With that, Kagome fell into a deep slumber with a gently smile on her face.

A few hours later a rough hand moved ever so slightly and found its way to the soft head of the ebony haired girl. "Kagome…?" a soft voice asked.

Ok, it took me long enough but here's another chapter. I hope you people are happy!


	10. Rant

Hey, Penname wa Silver B. K-I-S-S M-Y A-S-S! I could really care less about what you think of my story. I'll write it however damn well I please so just leave me the FUCK alone about it. I'm writing this because I damn well feel like it and if you don't like it then stop reading. Did you ever think of that? I don't need to put up with your shit because my story isn't how you would like it to be. As for his age, 10? What the fuck is wrong with you? I'll make him as old as I want to so back off, asshole.


	11. Hidden feelings and a claim worth making

A/N: Heh… I finally decided to update. I've been reeeeeeeally busy lately so I haven't had much time for this story, or any of my other ones in fact, but I do now.

Learning to Let Go

Chapter nine Hidden feelings and a claim worth making

Kouga groaned lightly and turned his head, trying to block out the sound of low beeping with the pillow but the annoying tone just kept repeating. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes and waited a moment until they adjusted to the darkness. 'Where am I?' he thought while looking around in confusion. He took a small sniff of the air and cringed. The air was foul and stunk with the stench of death and disease. But a small fragrance lifted itself to his nose and made him forget about all the other scents. Jasmine and sakura trees invaded his senses and he soon became drunk with the smell. "Kagome..." he said softly when he looked down and saw her head resting on the edge of the bed.

His icy blue eyes scanned the room once more and he found that he was in a hospital. 'That explains the horrid smell in the air…' he thought, cringing once more as its memory came to mind. Kouga slowly sat up, groaning as a sharp pain shot through his torso. The blanket slid down to his stomach, partially landing on Kagome's head. The small woman shifted in her sleep and whimpered. A small smile came to his face before it was wiped away by the scent of salt. 'She was crying? Over me?' he mentally asked himself. A small pang shot through his heart at the idea of the beautiful girl beside him shedding her tears on his behalf.

At the sight of her sleeping so peacefully at his side, his eyes softened. Every so often she would make a light sound in her sleep that Kouga could only describe as cute. Looking down upon himself, he saw that his chest was covered in a very large bandage which just so happened to be soaked with his own blood. Memories of his and Koibito's fight rushed into his mind and he quickly found his blood boiling and his eyes bleeding red. A low growl tore itself from his throat and his claws dug into the soft sheets of his hospital bed, leaving small tears in them.

Kagome shifted in her sleep again and slowly opened her eyes. When she looked up, her brown eyes clashed with Kouga's icy blue ones. Kouga could tell that her current position was an uncomfortable one so he lifted her up as easily as if she was a child and placed her in his lap, the back of her head resting on his chest. A blush quickly spread over Kagome's face as she realized that he was not wearing his hospital gown and she tensed in his hold. After a few minutes, she allowed herself to relax and began to enjoy the feeling of being in his arms. She couldn't explain it but somehow it just felt right to be there, like it was where she belonged.

Kouga smiled to himself and buried his face in her hair, taking in her scent. His frazzled nerves quickly calmed down and he felt himself relaxing, his anger leaving him. When he heard Kagome's light breathing, he realized that she had fallen back asleep. With a grunt, he pulled the IV from his hand and ran his fingers through her soft locks, marveling at just how soft her hair was, not to mention how nice it smelt. Sighing, he moved her raven hair aside and put his nose to the crook of her neck. Taking in a deep breath, he smiled. Oh how he would love to take her right there and make her his mate but he knew that she would never agree to something like that.

How could a girl as wonderful and beautiful as her fall in love with a demon like him? The realization of how things could never be made Kouga narrow his eyes in anger. If he couldn't have her then he would make sure that anyone who tried to gain her love would be ripped to pieces. This thought went on for a while and only when her small head moved softly against his chest did he let the thought leave his mind.

Kouga's gaze slowly moved over her face and her closed eyes. A soft smile adorned her face and she looked to be very relaxed. Kouga's eyes then moved from her face back down to her neck then over her chest and to where his arms were wrapped around her waist. Sometime during his brooding, she had placed her arms over his and snuggled into his lap and chest. She felt so right there and the thought that she may not want to mate him made his heart hurt.

Koga tucked her head in the crook of his neck, holding her in a protective embrace. "Have you been waiting for me to wake up all this time, love?" he asked, nipping her earlobe. Kagome giggled and squirmed in his arms. With a bright smile, she turned her head around to look into his face. Even though she felt a little uncomfortable being held like that, she wouldn't let him know. After all, he had almost died after a fight with Koibito that had partly been over her. So as he held her, she just sat there acting perfectly content.

Kagome gave him a week smile, a clear sign that she was utterly exhausted. Staring into his eyes, she noted that there was a slight sheen of anger in them as if something had suddenly snapped inside of him. "Yeah, I waited. But next time Kouga, try to heal a little faster. If I have to sit in here eating only hospital food, I will go mad." She said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood. Confusion crossed his face but quickly disappeared into a look of amusement. With a light chuckle, he kissed her cheek and placed his chin on the top of her head, enjoying the embrace to its fullest.

"Well, I'm sorry that my healing abilities aren't up to your standards but next time I'll try to hurry my ass up. Kami forbid you have to live off of hospital food." He said with the same amusement in his voice. Kagome pouted and crossed her arms over her chest like a child who didn't get their way. Annoyance burned in her eyes as he mocked her. Kouga's smile widened as he took in the sight of Kagome pouting like a 5 year old. Sometimes she was just too cute. After a few minutes of silence, Kagome pulled away from him a bit and looked him in the eyes. A mix of emotions made her look sad and her eyes troubled.

As he took in the sight of her, she pulled away even more so that she was sitting cross-legged in front of him, her fists clenched in front of her legs. "Kouga…" she said softly as her gaze shifted to the starch white sheets between them. "Promise me that you'll never do something that stupid again. I know that you were angry over what he said to me but please, don't fight him anymore. There's no need for you to worry about him, I don't have any feelings for him at all so there's no need to be so protective of me…" she said softly as her head lowered so that her bangs hid her eyes from his view so that he would not notice the glossy sheen of them as her tears threatened to fall.

Kouga's eyes softened as he looked at Kagome. He could tell that she felt responsible for what had happened to him. When the light scent of salt drifted past his nose, he pulled her close again and held her. Sighing, Kouga pulled her head closer to him so that it was tucked between his shoulder and neck. When he began to softly stroke her hair, the damn broke. Kagome's sobs shook both her and Kouga as she clutched to his chest as if she was scared to let him go.

In truth, she was. Even though she had not known the wolf demon for very long, she could tell that she had deep feelings for him. 'So much for mourning over InuYasha…' she thought as she pulled herself closer to him. Kouga leaned his head over to her ear and growled softly. Surprisingly, the sound of his growl and the soft rumble in his chest made her relax a little but her sobs continued.

"It's alright, Kagome. I'm fine now. There's no need for you to cry over me." Kouga said as he continued to stroke her soft, ebony locks. As he held the small woman in his arms, Kouga began to smile. No one had ever been this concerned over his well being and knowing that she was made him ecstatic. Thinking back, he realized that it had been a close call between him and Koibito. If Kagome had not stepped in when she did, there was a very possible chance that he could be dead right now.

"I was so scared…" Kagome whispered as her tears began to dry up. Wiping them away, she pulled back from his shoulder and looked into his icy blue eyes. "I thought that I was going to lose you." she said in the same low, pained voice. Slowly, she slipped her hand into his and squeezed it gently. Kouga's other hand swept across her cheek, brushing away the stray strands of hair that had fallen out of place and tucked the behind her ear, a small smile on his face.

"There's no need to worry about me Kagome. I'm not going anywhere." He said. With one swift motion, he pulled her close again and engaged her in a kiss. For a moment Kagome just sat there, the shock evident on her face. But soon, she began to relax and responded to his kiss, her eyes slowly closing. When Kouga opened his mouth and ran his tongue along her parted lips she pulled away, her face flushed and her breathing labored. The heat in her cheeks didn't seem to want to go away as she stared at him with wide eyes.

Still breathing heavily, Kagome slowly brought her fingers to her lips. She had never felt that excited when InuYasha kissed her and their kisses had been much longer. Sighing in content, Kagome closed her eyes and ran her fingers across her lips. Opening her eyes, her gaze landed on Kouga's face. A lark smirk was plastered there and his eyes seemed to sparkle, making Kagome's face even hotter.

Still smiling, he pulled Kagome back into his arms and nuzzled her neck gently. In that moment he made a decision. She would be his. Forever. And he'd be damned if he let anyone else try to steel what belonged to him.

A/N: There, all done. Please review.


	12. A Lovely Awakening

A/N: Ok, here's yet another chapter for you all to enjoy. And thanks to all of you who reviewed. Yay. Hehe. And I decided to use my friend Sarah's nick name as Kouga's last name. Oh won't she feel so involved.

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha.

Learning to Let Go

Chapter ten A Lovely Awakening

It was about noon when Kouga finally managed enough energy to open his eyes. He flinched slightly as the light from the open windows shone into the starch white room. Looking down, he smiled at the sight that lay before him. Kagome's head was rested gently on his chest. Sometime while she was sleeping she had lifted one of her small hands up by her head where it sat, slightly clenched, by her mouth. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she nuzzled his bare chest.

Sighing softly, Kouga laid his head back on the pillow. He closed his eyes and allowed the images of the previous day to flood his mind. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep the images from intruding his mind. Koibito had kicked his ass pretty badly. 'And in public.' He admitted to himself with a grimace. Luckily though, Kagome had managed to make his attacks cease by putting distance between the two. And using herself for just that task. 'If Kagome hadn't latched herself onto me when she did…' Kouga shuddered at the thought. All he knew was that he owed his life to her.

During his thinking, Kouga failed to realize that Kagome had shifted in her sleep, pulling herself closer to him and up higher on his chest. In her new position, Kagome's face was now only a few inches from the bare and warm skin of his shoulder. And when she started to shift upwards again he almost let out a groan as her body moved against his. Sometime while he had been unconscious, someone had brought her a change of clothes to save her from having to walk around the hospital in the gaudy work uniform that was mandatory at the Hoshi Inn.

Kagome let out a soft moan as she nuzzled his shoulder, trying to get closer. Closing his eyes in content, he allowed his arms to wrap around her more tightly pressing her body, if anymore possible, closer against his. Kouga had never felt more comfortable in his life. Even though he was in the hospital for a near death experience, holding the one he cared for made it all worth it. Taking in a deep breath, he smiled to himself. Oh how he loved her scent. He would gladly drown in it if ever given the chance. It wasn't very long though that they remained like this. Kouga heard the woman coming before she was even ten feet from the door and silently cursed himself. Here he was, enjoying his time holding the raven haired girl and a stupid nurse just had to interrupt him.

Gently releasing her, Kouga moved Kagome to lie beside him instead of in between his legs where the nurse may get the wrong idea. It wasn't very long until the old woman who had talked to Kagome the night before walked into the room holding a clip board and a ball point pen. "Hello Mr. Mattsuko. I'm glad to see that you are well." She said, her eyes sliding over the barely clad girl who lay sleeping besides him. Either it didn't bother her or she just decided not to comment because it wasn't long until her eyes went back to him. "We ran some tests while you were unconscious. You will be fine. Though after we let her in," she said, looking back over at Kagome who let out a soft snore, "we could hardly get close to you before she would snap at us to keep our distance."

Kouga grinned and looked down at the small female. Sure, he knew that she had a slight fiery streak in her but he never thought that she would be so protective over him. Shaking his head, he turned back to look at the old woman who was now checking the many machines that were spread across the rooms. "So, will I be able to leave today?" he asked, raising his eyebrow when she turned to him and sighed.

"Yes, but there was a slight problem. It seems that we were unable to find and medical record on you in our files. Do you happen to happen to have any form of insurance, Mr. Mattsuko?" she asked in a serious tone. Kouga grimaced and shook his head. Being homeless, he wasn't offered anything that most people had. Koibito had once tried to add him to his insurance plan out of a random act of kindness, but being the egotistical male he was, he refused. "Well then I guess we have a problem." She said, looking down at her clip board. After a few moments, she turned her faded green eyes back to his icy blue ones.

"The entire medical fee is $475, not including things like antibiotics. There were a lot of doctors involved in sewing up your wounds and man supplies were used so unless you have the money to pay for their services and the tools they required for your little fix up, I'm afraid that I'm not allowed to let you leave." She said; regret showing clearly in her eyes. Kouga groaned and closed his eyes. It was just his luck to be forced into paying for something that not only he could not afford, but something that had not been his fault at all.

Moaning softly, Kagome opened her large brown eyes and looked up at Kouga. It seemed that she had been awake the whole time and had waited until now to make her presence known. "I can pay for it, no problem." She said, yawning and she pulled at the edges of Kouga's blankets to cover her bare legs from the old nurse. Both Kouga and the woman smiled at her softly obviously finding her willing donation to his cause sweet. Kagome shivered and wrapped the blanket tighter around herself as she scooted closer to Kouga in an attempt to her warmer.

"Just give us a few moments and I'll be out to pay the bill. I think that I should get dressed before I decide to strut around the place. What I'm wearing isn't as bad as those paper gowns but it's pretty damn close." She said, smiling as Kouga wrapped his arm around her shoulder. The old woman nodded and turned to leave the room, a small smile playing on her features. Once she was gone, Kouga leaned down and kissed the top of her head, marveling in how wonderful her hair smelt.

"Thank you, Kagome. I promise that I will make this up to you." He said as she slid from the stiff covers of the hospital bed and moved to grab her clothes which lay folded up in the corner with a small pile of her things. Kagome just shook her head and moved to stand behind the small screen that was placed a few feet from the window so all Kouga saw was her shadow undressing itself. He had to stop himself from drooling but he even admitted to himself, he did not have enough control to keep from panting.

Kagome grunted as she fumbled with some sort of article of clothing which he could not determine from its shadow. "Don't worry about it, it's the least I could do after you stood up for me and all." She said, her shadow bending over to retrieve something from the floor. Kouga groaned softly as he watched her stand back up and pull a form fitting shirt over her head. "Besides, I have all that money in the bank that I could use. Might as well use it instead of letting it collect dust." She said. Kouga could hear the smile in her voice and couldn't help but smile back. Finally, he saw her shadow pull up her pants and she repapered from behind the curtain, fully dressed. "Tada!" she said with a grin.

Well, Kouga was right. The shirt she wore was formfitting, along with the jeans. They looked like they were skin tight but judging by the way she moved with ease, they weren't. Kouga couldn't suppress the groan that came from his lips as she bent over to put her sleeping shirt back into the small bag that had been brought to her over the night. And not again when he saw her waggle her rear end in the air. 'Damn woman!' Kouga thought as he closed his eyes and took in deep breathes in a failing attempt to calm himself. 'She's doing this on purpose.' He thought, letting out another groan. It seemed the image of her bending over was painted on the insides of his eyelids and if so, he never wanted to open his eyes again.

"Kouga, let's go. I still have my credit card and Sango managed to find my wallet with some of my stuff when she grabbed me some of her old clothes." She said. Kouga opened one ice blue eye to look into her brown ones which were only a few inches away. Nodding, Kouga sighed when she pulled away and turned around. If she had not moved away when she did then he would not have been able to resist grabbing onto her and kissing her, leaving a nice chance open to rub the firm looking backside of the female that seemed to be driving him crazy.

Kouga opened his other eye and looked down at himself. Uh oh. Quickly noticing his condition, he managed to cover himself more fully with the blanket. He had forgotten that he no longer wore the flimsy paper hospital gown that was required for patients and had almost bared himself to the world. Or, at least Kagome. Groaning, Kouga looked back to Kagome who stood by the door, talking to Sango through the small space that she had opened. "Excuse me, Kagome?" he said a little too loudly for his own liking. With a start, she turned to face him, chocolate eyes wide. "Could you go get Miroku for me? It seems I have a little… problem, so to speak." He said suggestively.

Kagome blushed and nodded, quickly exiting the room. Not long later, Miroku strolled in wearing his usual lop sided grin. "So Kouga, what trouble do you have now? Get a stiff one right before you were about to leave?" he asked grinning, if any possible, wider. Kouga narrowed his eyes and shook his head. Miroku was just about to open his mouth again when Kouga flung the sheet away from his body, silencing all questions from the now shocked Miroku. Kouga stood up and crossed his arms over his chest, his eyebrow rising at Miroku's horrified expression. "Oh hell Kouga, point that thing somewhere else!" he said as he covered his eyes.

Kouga just rolled his eyes and looked back at his friend. "I need a hospital gown. I don't think many people would appreciate me walking around in nothing but the skin I was born in. "he said, cracking a smile. Miroku nodded and turned around to search through some of the drawers that were spread evenly across the room. Not long after, Miroku pulled a long gown out from one of the drawers, handing it to Kouga. He nodded his thanks and turned around to put it on.

He could hear Miroku laugh as he slid the gown over his shoulders. "You know, if you really want to impress Kagome, you could always wear it backwards." He said, cracking up as he did so. Kouga turned around to hit him but when he did, the monk was gone. Growling, he reached behind himself to try the small, annoying strings. Well, he'd rather was around with pride having his ass show than strut his stuff through the hospital nude. Sighing one last time, Kouga walked to the door and exited the room.

When Sango and Kagome saw him turn to close the door, he heard both of their gasps and couldn't help but smirk. When he turned around he saw that Sango had turned red in the face and now looked away while Kagome's eyes were still glued to him. Well, she could stare all she wanted. It was time to get her back for her teasing in the hospital room. Let the games begin.


	13. Christmas to Remember? Or better to forg

A/N: 10/7/06. I went to a concert last night. I saw Alice in Chains. In your face! Enjoy.

Now it's much later… And I'm bored and listening to "Come out and play" by Offspring. It always reminds me of Kouga and InuYasha for some reason…

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha

Learning to Let Go

Chapter eleven A Christmas to Remember? Or better to forget?

Kouga growled in frustration as he sat on a bench in the overly crowded mall. 'So much for getting back at Kagome' he thought. She was off somewhere in the many shops that were littered throughout the building and he was stuck on the bench, carrying all the bags. If Kami loved to shop then he would certainly have a friend in Kagome. The young girl was glowing with joy as she sifted through the many things that the stores had to offer in an attempt to find things for her newly acquired friends. Oh yes, and it was Christmas morning. The mother of all the crappy holidays had arrived but at least he got to spend it with someone that he found special.

"Kouga!" Kagome called from a shop on the other end of the mall. Groaning, he quickly picked up the bags and made his way to her. He had decided to let his hair hang down after he had gotten back to the inn and gave it a thorough washing. So as he walked it blew back behind him in a cloak of black. Kagome was holding something in her hands that she seemed to be rather proud of, or at least that's what the silly grin on her face told Kouga. He hauled the bags closer to the shop that she stood in and grunted at their weight. 'I swear… If she makes me carry any more of these bags I'll snap.' He thought to himself as he nearly drug the overfilled bags on the floor.

Hating Christmas had quite the affect on Kouga. Unlike the happy little child on Christmas morning who got the newest red bike, he was the little child who always got exactly the opposite for Christmas, usually nothing at all as well. So as soon as he had heard the words "Merry Christmas!" float from the raven haired girl's lips, he had turned so sour that he would make a lemon jealous. "Kouga!" Kagome shouted again, irritation in her voice. "Hurry your lazy butt up! I want to show you something!" she cried, her bottom lip pulling down into a pout that Kouga's foul mood couldn't find adorable at the moment.

"What is it woman?" he asked, not quite caring. The desire to burn the bags in his hands was become quite unbearable. Kagome's grin widened as she opened the box to reveal a small heart on a silver chain. The heart was silver, like the chain, and was polished so much that Kouga could have sworn he saw his reflection in it. The word "love" was written in cursive letters across the front and on the side, he could make out a hinge. "A locket?" he asked, the confusion dripping from his gruff voice.

Nodding, she closed the box and added it to the small pile of things in the cart she held on her arm. "It's for Sango. Now she can put a picture of her and Miroku in it." Kagome said proudly. Kouga raised an eyebrow. Kagome frowned. "She likes him you goof." She said as a matter-of-factly. Shrugging, he turned around and began to look at the shiny things that were placed so delicately on the many tables scattered throughout the store. Everything looked so expensive. There was another reason why Kouga didn't like shopping. He never had any money to get things for the people he cared about.

As he looked about he heard Kagome shuffling through the items she had, whispering to herself about the ones that she would keep and the ones that had been a waste of time to even pick up. "Are you almost done?" he asked, his voice sounding gruffer than he had meant for it to. As she turned, Kagome quickly hide something from his view and pouted. "What's that?" he asked, curiosity getting the better of him. Squealing, Kagome held it away from his as he drew in closer to her, trying to get at the black box she clutched so dearly in her hands.

She grunted as she stuffed the box back into the small cart. "It's none of your business!" she said, turning away with a huff. Kouga sighed and turned away, glowering. She slowly made her way to the register counter, taking note of other things that she may want to purchase. Finally, about ten minutes later, she made her way back to him with a black shopping bag in hand and a large grin plastered on her face. "All done!" she said, proudly holding up the bag for his inspection. He looked at the bad indifferently then nudged his head towards the door, signaling that he wanted to leave.

She narrowed her eyes and walked in front of him, her head in the air. "You know, you're a real downer Kouga. The least you could do is try to pretend that you're having a nice time." She said, holding onto the bags' handle with both hands. She turned to face him, her full lips pulled down into a pout. Kouga narrowed his eyes right back at her, his tail swishing behind him in irritation as he stared at the raven haired girl before him.

Rolling his eyes, he took off in front of her, unable to take the staring contest any longer. Kagome silently followed behind him, grunting to herself about how much of an irritating ass he could be. "I can hear you." He said with a growl. She squeaked and closed her mouth quickly, slowing her pace even more so as not to be next to him in the case of a tantrum. As the exit of the damned building came into view, Kouga almost let out a yip of pleasure. His escape of the overly crowded store was the only goal on his mind and just before he could go speeding off to his destination, Kagome opened her mouth.

"Let's stay a while longer!" she said happily. A large child like smile was plastered upon her face when Kouga turned to face her with a deranged look in his eyes. She continued on though, as if ignore the look he gave her. "Come onnnn Kouga! I want to go see more shops! Plus, we haven't got nearly enough presents for everyone!" she said, pouting as she tried to win him over. He bared his fangs to her a bit, showing his displeasure. "But Kouga, you HAVE to stay!" she said, crossing her arms in frustration as she tapped her shoe on the polished ground.

Rolling his eyes, he balanced the majority of his weight on one foot, leaning back a bit with his arms crossed as well. "And why is that?" he asked indifferently with one eyebrow raised. Kagome bit her lip as she stared at him, chocolaty eyes clashing with icy blue ones. A few minutes later, it seemed as if a reason dawned on her before she began to suddenly talk again with a smile.

The smile widened as she took a step closer to him. "To carry my bags, of course!" she said as-a-matter-of-factly. She smiled sweetly at him, trying to get him to stay but his sudden rage at her words would allow none of that. He stepped away from her, giving her a stare that could have turned her to stone. "What's wrong, Kouga?" she asked innocently. "I thought you knew that that was one of the reasons I wanted you to come… Well, besides the other ones…" she said, looking away a bit.

Baring his teeth, he let out a low growl. "Well excuse me if I don't like being your bag boy!" he snapped, barely taking note of her hurt expression. His arm reached out to offer the many bags that he held to her. "And carry your own shit, I'm not your dog." He added, snapping his fangs at the small woman before him. Tears filled her large eyes as she ripped the bags from his grasp, stumbling slightly at the sudden increase of weight. Smirking at her fault, he shoved his hands into his pockets cockily and waited for her reply.

Kagome turned away from him slowly, gripping the bags tighter. "Well… I can see when I'm not wanted…" she said, a sniffle interrupting her in mid-sentence. The scent of salt assaulted his nose as she began to walk away and his smile faltered ever so slightly. She was a few yards away from him when she turned, tear filled eyes ripping his heart apart and said, "Here. I was going to wait until we made it back to the Inn to give this to you but I don't quite think that matters anymore." And she tossed one of the bags to him, turning before he caught it.

Kouga curiously opened the bag and peered inside. His eyes widened when they fell upon the small box that Kagome had purchased from the previous store. Groaning, he closed the bag and made his way to a bench, sitting himself down heavily and dropped all the bags in the process. With his face in his hands, he bit his lip until the coppery taste of blood entered his mouth. "What have I done…?" he asked himself as he watched her disappear out of the mall entrance and into the crowd of people outside. "I'm sorry Kagome…" he whispered, closing his misty eyes.

A/N: Garr… This chappy sucks. I kinda rushed it due to my not updating in pretty much forever… But bleh. Leave reviews if you wish… Anddd. I have a myspace, if you ever feel like talking. 


	14. Author's Note IMPORTANT! READ!

Massive Author's Note!!!

Sorry guy! I don't think I'm going to be working on this one for a loooong time. I just have absolutely NO ideas for it. Feel free to suggest things. If I use your idea you will be credited soooooo much!! But please help. I already know how to end it. Just not how to get there. So please help me?


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